Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1887-1890, 1887-10-05
WAS 1T MURDER?
Or is Ravens a Victim of Circun
stances2
SATURDAYS PROCEEDINGS.

&
In presence of a large and %appreciative
audience the examination of Merit Ha
vens was resumed to-day in the court
room %improvised in Burghardt & Parker
..ffice. There were not chairs enough tt,
70 round. Some of the spectators stood
up and after a while squatted on the floor.
Mr. Msrris, a sub-contractor, was the 6rsi
witness. He said Ravens hired with hin.
as a teamster absut the 4th of July. Mr..
Fl ,vens came tc my tent on the night of
the 22nd and cried, "Come out! Ida has
killed herself" His voice showed that he
was excited. [ got up and started for the
tent. Ravens who had gone away return
ed an asked if | had a light? l asked if
she was dead when | got to the tent, and
he answered that she was; that he had
called her and she did not reply. -Four
of US went into the tent and saw Mrs.
Havens lying on her left side. She was
bleeding very little. Next day when l
saw the body it was in the same position.
He knew very little of them but hesrsay.
said that they quarreled at times. Ravens
told him one time that his wife had been
making money, and he inferred that it
was bY prostitution. Ravens did 10
speak as if he WAS dissatisfied. In going
to the camp On the fatal night, Ravens
said the pistol was under his wife.
He said that his wife declared that she
was about to leave and began to change
her attire.
On cross-examination Mr.. Morris said
thu xoJE ahop$ ,,oLinr ponnnu fOrG nfoao
at Benton, in July. He considered that
short time before her death that she
would put herself where he could not find
her. He understood that she m antto kill
herself. He saw a revolver with her at
Benton.
When Mr.. Morris had withdrawn, Mr..
Taylor made a long argument that Sol
Yates should be examined in presence of
Drs. Fairfield, Cooney and Longeway.
Mr.. Brady objected as the prosecution had
asked for the exclusion of witnesses
while any witness Was under examination.
Finally the cour decided that the ply
sicians might be present while Sol Yates
testified.
Sol Yates related the well-known cir
umstances Of the visit made by himself
..pd others to the ten on the day the in
quest was held. Sol was asked to show
IN the bed which happened to be in the
courtroom, how the corpse was found.
A yoruingly Sol sat gu the bed and ex-
:1ained the position of the dead
nd where the pistol was found. Sol
trodestly disclaimed any ability to speak
4, an expert on woman, but he expressed
the opinion that if Mrs. Ravens shot her
self part of her hair would have crumpled
under her head when she fell, where's
her flowing treses were at full length.
DIR. Cooney said that DIR. Fairfield
showed the wound to him; he saw no
powder burns on the woman's face; he
believes that the direction of the ball was
horizontal. He made a second examina-
t.sn yesterday. There were two fractures
in the skull. The incised wound could
not have been made by q revolver ball.
The marks on the body showed violence
or violent contact with some instrument.
DR.. Coeney vas cross-examined at cor
siderable length. A recess was taken until
$50, when the hearing Of evidence was
resumed, without eliciting any sensational
circumstances. The examination was
concluded at the time the TRIBUNE was
sent to press.